Race To Beat The Weasleys
by FezMiranda
Summary: Harry falls in love with a witch from Australia, Ron marries Hermione and Ginny marries Draco! All want large families and a bet is placed. The Race Is On! Who gets to seven first? Who will be the next 'Weasley' family? Chapters 4 and 5 up!
1. The Beginning of the Beginning

Race To Beat The Weasleys 

**Chapter One – The Beginning of the Beginning**

The magical world had been holding its breath for the past three years, and now everyone had the chance to let that breath out.

After a year of traversing the globe, facing unknown dangers and permanently under attack from Death Eaters, Harry, Ron and Hermione had found and destroyed six of Voldemort's seven Horcruxes. His snake, Nagini, had been by far the most difficult; requiring her to be lured far enough from her masters side to be 'disposed of' as Ron so eloquently put it.

Once the six 'rogue' parts of Voldemort's shattered soul had been destroyed, the three of them, (much to Harry's displeasure, though it was not for lack of trying on his part) along with the Order and a double handful of valuable allies they had gathered on their journey, finally stood face to face with the man who had turned their world upside down. A mere man Voldemort then was, left with only one seventh of his broken soul. No longer virtually invincible, but as vulnerable as Harry himself.

Vulnerable to any attack that passed his powers that was.

Voldemort had also gathered followers, calling his Death Eaters to his side, pitching their powers into a battle of good versus evil. True to the cliché, good did triumph over evil, but at a terrible cost.

Harry was, of course, the one to finish Voldemort off for good, but not before he had been hit by several dark curses and the tail end of a _'sectusempra'_ on his shoulder, losing copious amounts of blood before the battle was over and he had at last saved the world from the evil reign of Lord Voldemort.

Ron, Hermione and the others had gathered among the casualties to console Harry as he stood over Voldemort's body, swaying with exhaustion. Ron and Hermione gathered him up in a bear hug, hearing Harry croak, "Funny. It wasn't Voldemort who killed me in the end, it was those bloody Death Eaters!"

Harry dropped to the ground, the pallor of Death spreading over his face.

Harry was not one to believe in 'out of body experiences', but now he had no choice. He finally felt relaxed and at peace for the first time in over three years. Floating above his body, he thought he looked as if he was just asleep. 'So peaceful' he thought to himself. "But so young." Whispered a voice behind him.

Harry whirled around to face the speaker as the voice began ringing bells of familiarity in his brain. He looked down a little and into the emerald green eyes that his own mirrored.

"Mum" Harry breathed, and stood gaping as the beautiful scarlet haired woman before him.

"Oh, Harry darling!" sobbed Lily Potter as she wrapped her arms around he son, squeezing him reassuringly. As Harry got a hold of himself and his hands around the waist of his long dead mother, he jumped when another familiar voice spoke out from behind him.

"Stop that Lily! You couldn't help yourself could you?" The voice was deep, warm and filled with surpressed laughter, Harry turned to face his father. James stood a little over two inches taller than Harry, and reached out to shake his son's hand, pulling him into a brief bear hug before releasing him.

"Dad, Mum, what are you doing here? What happened to me? Am I dead or something?" asked a baffled and scratchy voiced Harry.

Lily looked at him with unshed tears glistening in her eyes, and nodded. James, in turn, patted him on the back and told him, "But not for long by the looks of things." He pointed at the scene below, indicating the busy group working crazily over and around Harry's body. "But before you go, you are allowed to ask one question of each of us." He said, wrapping an arm around Lily's shoulders as he spoke.

Harry looked at his parents and thought carefully. This was going to be the only chance he would get for the rest of his life to obtain any sort of advice from either of his parents. Advice … what sort of advice would every guy in any world want to ask his father!

"Dad, how did you propose to Mum?" Harry asked quietly. James looked shocked, and Lily's eyes finally overflowed as she began weeping. "Umm, OK. Not quite the question I was expecting but there you go." He thought for a moment, took a breath, and began.

* * *

Your mother and I had been together since the beginning of our seventh year at Hogwarts, and I had known for nearly two years that she was the One. (at this point Lily looked at James and smiled a watery eyed smile) Even though I knew she was the one for me, I waited until nearly a year and a half after we graduated from Hogwarts. We had come back to Hogwarts to discuss some of the latest movements of Lord Voldemort. I had always known that Lily used to escape to the top of the Astronomy Tower to sit and think when she got too stressed or emotional. After meeting with Dumbledore, I told Lily to go up and wait for me, because I had to ask one of the professors who was in the Order a question. Once she had left, I went out to the grounds and took my broom out my pocket and flew up to meet her. I had organized with Dumbledore earlier to have it turned into a romantic retreat, complete with picnic basket, champagne and strawberries. She came out onto the roof of the tower and I was sitting, or should I say, kneeling in the middle of the floor with a ring box in my hand and told her that I had never, in my entire life, met someone who fitted me so perfectly. She was the only person who had complete control over my mind, body and soul. She was my everything and she was all that I needed for the rest of my life. I asked her to be my wife.

* * *

His story finished, James sighed happily and drew Lily close to his chest and kissed her. Lily allowed it for a moment, before pushing him away and looking at Harry expectantly. "Go on Harry, you are still allowed to as me a question."

Harry thought carefully again, and came up with an idea. "What song did you sing to put me to sleep when I was a baby?"

Both Lily and James looked at Harry and smiled. Lily took a step towards Harry, took his hands and began to sing. The song had no words, but was hauntingly familiar to Harry, raising goosebumps on his skin. Then James joined in, his soft deep voice complimenting Lily's sweet tone perfectly. They sang the song together until the end of the song, and looked from each other to Harry, who had a single tear of happiness trailing down his cheek.

"Thank You so much." Said Harry, wiping the tear away.

"It was our pleasure Harry, but if I may ask, why those questions?" enquired Lily.

Harry blushed and looked down at his feet. Looking up again, he answered softly, "I wanted to know how Dad proposed so I can propose to a girl the same way someday. And I wanted to know what song Mum sang to me so I can sing it to my own children." Lily and James bath felt their hearts swell with pride. Lily's eyes filled with tears again, as James looked down and nodded to her.

"It's time to go now Harry." Said James, hugging Harry again, this time lingering a bit longer, filling Harry with warmth. Lily too lingered longer than before, almost suffocating Harry with her hair. As she pulled back, she place two soft kisses on his cheeks, pulled his head down and planted another one on his forehead, before stepping back into James' arms and sobbing out loud into his chest.

"Goodbye Harry, we will always be watching over you. Never forget that will you?" James said softly and Lily nodded. "G – goodbye Harry. We love you darling." And she blew him a kiss.

"Goodbye Mum, Dad. I love you too." Harry whispered. His parents smiled and waved gently as they faded from view. Realising what their disappearance must mean, Harry looked down to see a healer leaning over his body with his wand pointed at his chest. There was a flash of light, Harry felt a slash of pain through his chest and brain, and then everything went black.


	2. Recovery

Race to Beat the Weasleys Chapter Two – Recovery 

Harry had woken up three weeks later with a splitting headache and a head full of cloudy memories of the night of the battle.

Both Hermione and Ginny had screamed with joy when he opened his eyes and groaned as the bright sunshine streamed into his face. Hermione looked like she had had no sleep for the whole three weeks he had been unconscious.

It took a further two weeks for Harry to talk Madame Pomfrey into letting him out of the hospital wing at Hogwarts, where Ron and Hermione had insisted he be taken once they had revived him. He then spent a further two months at the Burrow, growing more and more frustrated with Mrs. Weasley's mothering and fussing over him. He finally cracked when at the end of the two months, when he had been feeling himself for over a week and a half, Molly wouldn't let him go and play Quidditch with Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Hermione (as Referee!) in the orchard near the Burrow.

"Damn it Woman! (Harry had really lost it by now) Why can't I go play Quidditch with the others? I AM NOT A BABY!" By this time, a very red faced Harry was standing, towering, over an equally red faced and obviously flustered Molly Weasley, who was showing no signs of backing down either.

"You can't go outside yet, you might catch something! You need to rest for a bit longer!" said Mrs. Weasley firmly, trying to herd him back up the stairs and up to bed. "NO! No. I have had enough rest, and I am going to go outside and play Quidditch!" Harry grasped Molly firmly by the shoulders and moved her aside, stepping out the back door and joining his friends in the air.

Not long after, Harry talked Ron, Hermione and Molly into letting him go on a holiday. Eager to get away from Britain entirely, Harry decided to head for the warmer climate of Australia.

Ron and Hermione had wanted to come with him, but Harry refused. This was something that he needed to do on his own, to find himself as a person, not a wizard or The Boy Who Lived or even The Chosen One. He needed to find out who he was so he could live the rest of his life in peace.

After a week of packing, as well as fierce deliberation on methods of transportation, Harry left for Australia. Deciding that muggle transport, though incredibly slow and uncomfortable, was the best way to adjust to the time difference better. With a hug to Hermione, a handshake for Ron and a wave at Molly and the other Weasleys, Harry said one last goodbye and apparated to London to catch his plane.

By the time Harry arrived in Sydney, Australia, he was regretting his choice to travel by muggle means immensely. A delay in Singapore had increased his travel time from eighteen hours to nearly twenty-four. He was tired, hungry and wanted to get out of the damn plane! Thankfully Remus had sent word ahead when he had found out where Harry was planning to go. He told Harry that he would know who he was looking for when he found them. With nothing more than this information, a backpack and a suitcase, Harry emerged from the plane and soon entered the arrivals lounge.

"HARRY! OVER HERE MATE!" A voice from the other side of the vast room shouted. Harry craned his neck to see the owner of the voice. Spotting a hand waving above the crowd, he said a silent prayer and made his way over to the group waiting close to the exit.

What greeted him was a small group of five or six young people around his own age wearing faded shorts and shirts in varying states of disarray and shabbiness. What intrigued Harry the most was the curious footwear that each individual was sporting. The bright rubber slip-on shoes passed between the wearers' first two toes.

Unable to think of anything else once seeing the group's footwear, Harry blurted out, "What are those shoes?" The question was met with a gale of laughter from the group.

Still chuckling, an individual separated himself from the group and held out his hand to Harry. "Hi! The name's Matthew, but call me Matt. No one here ever calls me that, 'cept me Mum, and even then it's only when I'm in trouble." The young man grasped Harry's hand and shook it vigorously, a wide grin gracing his face.

"Pleased to meet you Matt." Responded Harry; now knowing that this was who he was supposed to be meeting. Remus had judged what, or who, he needed perfectly. Fun loving, but generally sensible people his own age without a care in the world!

After a loud and cheerful round of introductions, Harry was faced with: Drew, Sarah, Jamie, Jean and Kiara. They all shook his hand and welcomed him to 'Oz' as they called it.

Leading him outside, Matt and the others took him to a secluded corner. Stopping there, Matt placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You don't need to lug that around anymore," he said, gesturing toward the suitcase, "Shrink it and stick it in your pocket. Then we can show you round!"

While Harry had suspected that Remus had set him up with magical people, it still surprised him to hear it himself. Shrugging, he pulled out his wand, shrank the suitcase and backpack and put them both in his pocket, then put his wand away. He then turned to the group and asked, "Where to first?" his tiredness long forgotten.

Their faces all lit up and they were off!

Harry was exhausted. After leaving the airport, Matt and the others had dragged him all over Sydney, from the Opera House to the top of the Centrepoint Tower and back down to the Sydney aquarium.

By the time they finally took him to where he was going to live for the next … however long he was going to live there, he was falling asleep on his feet.

"Here you go Harry, this is where you're going to sleep." Said Matt, leading him up the hallway of a moderately sized apartment near the beach.

"Thanks Matt, …" Harry paused as he yawned widely, "What time is it anyway?" he finished.

"About eight o'clock. Don't ask me what time it is over in Pommie Land though. I wouldn't have a clue." Matt shrugged, as Harry grinned at the now familiar name for his home country. "Thanks, I can find out the time back home with a spell Hermione found before I left. See you tomorrow Matt!" replied Harry.

"See Ya Harry!" waved Matt as he headed back to the living area.

Harry barely had the energy to find his pajamas before he fell into bed and was almost instantly asleep.

The next day, Harry woke after midday. When he finally dragged himself out of bed and made his way out into the kitchen, he found the apartment empty. Looking around, he spied a brightly coloured message on the door of the refrigerator. Taking it down, he helped himself to a bowl of cereal and sat on the balcony to read the note, which was addressed to him.

_Harry,_

_Sorry we left before you got out of bed, the surf was too good down at the beach! Help yourself to anything for breakky, though by the time you get your lazy butt out of bed, it will be lunch time!_

_If you manage to get up before 5pm, we are all going down to the pub for a few drinks tonight. I have invited a few of my other mates (they're the same as us) to come meet you, so you had better show up!_

_See Ya Later!_

_M_

_P.S. The pub is the _Surfshop_, the one I showed you yesterday._

Harry finished reading and checked the clock in the kitchen as he washed and dried his dishes. 2:30pm. Good, he had enough time to talk to Hermione and Ron before he went out.

Going into his room, Harry found his wand and held it in front of him, "_tema revalis le england_" There was a flash of light and a time appeared in the air in front of him. 4:30am. Far too early in the morning to be waking Ron or Hermione up just to talk to them, he valued his life far more than that!

Instead he headed for the shower. He spent far longer than he usually would have in the shower, letting the comfortably hot water course over his face and down his back and chest. When he emerged from the steamy bathroom he felt refreshed and much more alive.

After dressing, Harry unpacked all his belongings into the chest of drawers and wardrobe in his room. He then checked the time in England again … still too early.

After 'pottering' around the apartment for a while, learning where all the rooms were, and finding out which door lead to where, Harry gathered his wand, wallet and apartment keys before closing the door behind him and going to meet his new friends and flatmates at the Surfshop.


	3. Revenge

Race to Beat The Weasleys Chapter Three – Revenge 

Harry arrived at the Surfshop to find that Matt's 'few friends' had turned into the party of the week!

The bar was crammed with people moving to the music and generally enjoying themselves. He stood just inside the entrance, unsure of what to do or where to go. Suddenly he was rasped gently by the wrist and drawn into the crowd.

It wasn't until he stopped in front of Matt that he was able to get a proper look at the person who had maneuvered him across the floor. His eyes met smiling blue as the young woman grinned at him. Her dark hair (it was too dark to tell whether it was black or brown) was pulled into a loose ponytail; wavy tendrils that had escaped were softly framing her face. She was tall too, her eyes almost level with his own.

"Hi," she shouted over the thumping music.

"Hello!" he shouted back, moving closer so he didn't have to shout so loud to be heard. "I'm Harry." He held out his hand to her, and she shook it smoothly, squeezing gently as she did so.

"Pleased to meet you, my name's Feriel." She laughed out loud at the expression on his face. "Yes, that's really my name! You're not the first person to think I'm crazy. At least before they get to know me!" She winked cheekily at him as she turned to face Matt, who was leaning against the bar, and waved. "So this is Harry," she said. Matt smiled crookedly and nodded. "Well then, welcome to Australia Harry!" Then, much to Harry's surprise and shock, she leant up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Hope you have fun!" She then released his hand and disappeared into the writhing crowd.

Harry, when he pulled himself together, couldn't for the life of him work out where she had gone! Matt watched him search the crowd for a moment before pulling him closer to yell in his ear, "Don't even try to find her. She can only be found when she wants to be. When, she doesn't, not even a locator spell can track her!" Seeing the disappointed look on the raven-headed young man, Matt ushered Harry back into the crowd.

As the night flew by, Harry soon forgot about the dark haired and bright blue eyed girl he had met at the beginning of the night.

Harry couldn't remember much of the night before when he woke up the next afternoon, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he had forgotten something important.

He was on the couch in the living room, half covered with a blanket. He felt vaguely nauseous, until he opened his eyes. His stomach rolled wildly and he dragged himself off the couch and dashed to the kitchen just in time to empty the contents of his stomach into the sink.

When finished, Harry felt marginally better, but his head was pounding and his eyes were screaming for respite from the bright sunshine that was streaming through the windows.

"Urgh. You look about as unhealthy as I feel. I never knew anyone could look quite that green." Came a scratchy voice from the door to the hallway. Matt padded through the kitchen, reaching up to one of the cupboards above the stove. Opening it, he pulled down two vials full of bright yellow potion. Closing the cupboard, he held out one to Harry, "Here. This will make that monster headache you're bound to have right now, go bug someone else." And tipped his own head back, downing the potion in one gulp. Somewhat apprehensive, Harry followed suit and immediately sighed in relief.

"Oh, that's much better!" he said, finally able to open his eyes without wanting to throw up again.

"Hangover potion. Couldn't live without it if you ask me," grinned Matt, now back to his cheerful self, "So how did you like last night?" he asked.

"The part that I can remember, I really enjoyed. But the point is, I can't remember much at all!" Harry mused as he watched Matt fry up bacon and eggs for their _very_ late breakfast.

"Yeah well, that would be Jamie's fault." He looked up at Harry, who cocked an eyebrow, signaling for him to continue. "He thought it would be fun to see what you were like drunk. Mind you, it didn't take as long as we thought it would." He finished with the frypan and began serving up, "You don't normally drink much do you?" Matt looked pointedly at Harry.

"No, not really. I have a few drinks with my mates, but I have never gotten so drunk that I don't remember anything. Thanks." Harry took the plate Matt offered him, and headed out to the balcony. They both sat in companionable silence as they ate their breakfast, until something dawned on Harry.

"How _did_ I get drunk anyway? From what I remember, I was drinking soft drinking soft drink when I got there." He stopped as Matt started looking incredibly sheepish. "What did Jamie, and I suppose _you_, do to me last night?" Harry demanded, staring straight at Matt.

"Well Jamie didn't even think about including me until I had had far too much to drink. But he spiked your drinks with vodka until you were pissed enough to give you alcoholic drinks outright. By the time my memory failed, at the end of the night, you were onto shots of scotch and firewhiskey. Very entertaining, though by then I think we all were!" Replied Matt honestly, looking sorry for what had happened.

Harry felt annoyed, but figured he could let it go this time. He would probably find the Weasley twins doing something similar to him back home one day. "Well there's not much I can do about it now, Jamie has probably had hangover potion already, so there is no point going and banging around his place to annoy him. I'll just have to think of some other way to get him back another day." Said Harry matter of factly. He looked over to Matt, who was now grinning like an insane Cheshire Cat. "What?" he asked suspiciously; already wary of what the other wizard had in mind.

"I took Jamie home last night, and filched the last of his hangover potion after I put him to bed. He will be feeling like CRAP this morning … er … afternoon!" Matt looked as if he was ready to dance around with joy. "I owe him a prank, let's go!" With that, he grabbed Harry, who felt the familiar sensation of sidelong apparition crush his chest.

The small apartment was almost pitch black when they arrived. Matt immediately went to the curtains and wrenched them open, flooding the room with afternoon sunlight. A groan emerged from the couch, then a figure wrapped in blankets staggered up and moved as fast as it could to what Harry presumed would be the bathroom. Matt began to laugh.

"Just where I left the bugger! Still facing the window even!" he chuckled heartily when Jamie blundered back into the living room, bleary eyed and green faced, carrying a bucket. He flopped back onto the couch, pulling the blankets back over his head to block the sunlight.

"Feeling a bit ill are we Jamie?" laughed Matt, earning him a murderous glare when a head emerged from the covers once more.

"Fuck off you bastard! You nicked all my hangover potion! I knew I would be in trouble with you doing this one day. Just didn't know it was going to be this soon." Jamie grumbled, looking like he just wanted to curl up and die.

Taking pity on the helpless look in the young man's eyes, Harry asked his question softly, "Why did you get me so drunk last night? I barely remember more than coming in the door and meeting that girl."

"I can barely remember more than you can, but I distinctly remember the look on your face when Feriel disappeared from right under your nose, like she does. Just thought I would save you dwelling on her the whole night, wondering what happened, etc., etc." he sighed heavily and finished. "Now will you close the curtains and leave me to my hangover, or are you going to be useful and find me some of that potion which has obviously perked you two jerks up!"

Both Harry and Matt laughed, and Matt pulled a vial of the bright yellow potion from his pocket, handing it to Jamie, who tipped his head back and swallowed it immediately.

"Ah, that's better! Why in the hell did you do that to me Matt? What did I do to deserve that! I've never had such a hangover! Even before I learnt how to make the potion." Jamie looked expectantly to Matt, who just shrugged. "I owed you one, and Harry wanted to know about last night, so I thought I would make it an even better one. I was just going to let you suffer on your own all day." He patted him on the shoulder and continued, "Now that you are abnormal again …" at this, Jamie punched Matt not so lightly on the shoulder, "Ow! … Anyway, I am going to take Harry down to the beach and teach him how to ride the waves!"

"What! Who said I wanted to learn! I could think of heaps better things to do than make a twat of myself in front of a bunch of surfies!" Harry glared at the two guys sitting on the couch, laughing hysterically. "_WHAT!_"

"Your face! And … and … _TWAT_!" The two of them could barely speak for laughing. Harry let them go for a moment before wandlessly casting _silencio_ over the two of them, and sitting down to wait in the peace and quiet.

They both realised quickly that they could no longer hear themselves laughing and looked at Harry, sitting in the chair, absently twiddling his thumbs.

Harry looked up from his hands to the two on the couch when Matt slammed his hand on the table, drawing his attention. They both looked rather irritated.

"Have you two finished laughing at me and my background? I can always leave you like that for the rest of the day." The boys looked horrified at the prospect as they shook their heads vehemently. Harry just laughed and recited the counterspell.

"Thank Bloody God! I thought you were going to leave us like that forever!" Matt grumbled, getting off the couch and stretching lazily. "And who says you are going to embarrass yourself in front of everyone. I was going to take you to one of the smaller beaches where not many people go." He looked at Harry, who just stared back. Matt then reminded Harry forcefully of Ron, as he pouted his lower lip and widened his eyes. Effectively giving him the 'Puppy Dog Eyes'.

Harry sighed heavily and resigned himself to what was bound to be torture. "Alright. But after today, if I still don't want to surf, will you leave me alone?" he asked wearily. He tried to ignore the embarrassing pictures, of himself falling repeatedly off a surfboard in front of a crowd of laughing Australians, as a manic grin appeared on Matt's face.

"No problem! Coz you won't hate it, I guarantee it!" he clapped Jamie on the shoulder, "See Ya Mate! Gotta go and teach our resident Pommie how to ride the Aussie waves!" Then he again just grabbed Harry and popped out of existence.

Jamie just sat on the couch and laughed. HaHHkjhoi


	4. The Date

A/N: 

Sorry about not putting this up before. I got a little too enthusiastic about putting my story up!

Ok, I don't own anything but the plot and my own original characters. If I did, I wouldn't be working my butt off to pay my way through university would I now?

Also I would like to add that reviews are very much appreciated, any feedback is constructive to any story. And I am starting to think about names for all the kids that are going to be appearing later on. I can't think of them all, so if you want to send me any, I would be happy to credit you for any names that I do eventually use in my story.

Thanks again to all the people who have read my story so far, and here is the next installment.

Enjoy!

Race to Beat the Weasleys Chapter Four – The Date 

Harry was surprised at how much he really enjoyed surfing, but regretted not wearing anything to protect his pale skin from the harsh Australian sun.

"I am never going out in the sun without a shirt on _ever_ again!" he groaned, stretched out on the cool tiled floor of Matt's apartment.

"I tried to tell you that you would get lobstered, but _Noooooo_! You weren't going to listen to me, the local. You're almost as stubborn as Feriel, and believe me, that's saying something!" Matt exclaimed from the kitchen, where he was brewing a skin calming potion.

"Speaking of Feriel, that's the girl I met at the Surfshop party last night wasn't it?" Matt nodded, "What's she like anyway?" Harry shifted on the floor slightly, so he could see Matt's face properly.

"Mysterious is about the best way to describe that girl. No one really knows what she's like. Every time we think we've got her figured out, she pulls something new out of her sleeves." Matt looked at Harry on the floor, smiling wryly when he saw the raven-haired wizard listening intently. "She must like us though, she hasn't hexed us or stopped talking to us yet, so that's something! Tell you what though, she's taking a fancy to you! Never seen her stay at a party so long! She hardly let her out of her line of sight all night!" He laughed outright at the dumbfounded look on the sunburnt Harry's face. Still chuckling, he carried the finished skin calming and cooling salve to where Harry lay, sprawled on the floor. "Here, try this on that lovely red skin of yours. It should help." Matt commented, helping Harry smooth the turquoise gel onto his scorched skin, causing him to sigh in relief.

"Ooohhhh, that's much better!" Harry watched in amazement as his skin slowly stopped throbbing and faded back to its natural creamy white colour.

"Next time, you aren't walking out that door without suncream, zinc and a rashi on!"

"A what?" asked Harry, his curiosity making him ignore the parental tone Matt was using.

"A rashi. It's a shirt made of a material that blocks out the suns UV rays. So you don't get sunburnt." Matt shrugged casually, "Everyone wears them, so you don't have to worry about standing out." He held out his hand to Harry, and helped him up off the floor. "Come help me make tea."

Over the next few weeks Harry worked on his surfing skills while Matt showed him the Australian way of life.

Matt was right, Feriel _had_ taken a liking to Harry, who was on the lookout for her at every party and gathering that he attended. He began asking her questions about herself, which she answered on the basis that he answered any she asked of him.

He discovered that she was a half-blood witch, her mother was a pureblood, her father a muggle born wizard. She had a younger sister, who was only six, and a _'pain in the arse'_ according to her. She was eighteen years old, with her birthday approaching in July. Harry was amazed at this, she didn't look a day younger than 22! He had just been curious to know how big the age gap was!

After speaking to her at a few parties, he gathered his Gryffindor courage to ask her out for lunch. Instead, Feriel scared the hell out of him by asking him to the movies before he had a chance to say anything. Flabbergasted, he stuttered out a Yes, and was rewarded with a flash of her amazing smile. "OK then, meet me at the Opera House steps for lunch first?" she asked. Harry nodded, and the date was set.

Three days later, Harry was a nervous wreck. Matt was barely controlling his laughter as Harry dashed around the apartment, looking for his favourite t-shirt. (Matt had advised on comfy casual for Harry's date) He already had his slouchy jeans and sneakers on, but had yet to find his shirt.

"Why don't you just go like that?" asked Matt, who was shaking with restrained laughter. Harry whirled around from where he was rummaging around the living room, "What?!" he demanded, rather irritated. (He couldn't find his shirt _anywhere_!)

"I said, why don't you just go like you are now? I know Feriel wouldn't mind." Matt replied cheekily. Harry just shook his head at Matt's antics and finally pulled out his wand. "Accio Billabong t-shirt!" he cried, sighing in relief as he saw his t-shirt sailing toward him. As he inspected it, then pulled it over his head, he asked Matt, "Why did it come from your room?"

"I … er … borrowed it the other day. I washed it!" he added quickly, as Harry looked down at the shirt, mock disgust on his face. "But I just hadn't gotten around to returning it yet." Matt looked sheepish.

"Just let me know next time would you? I don't need to be racing around the apartment like that again anytime soon!" replied Harry as he grabbed his wallet off the countertop. Dashing to the door, he cried to Matt as he left, "See you later! Wish me luck!" and he was gone.

"Hey Harry!" called Feriel, who was sitting on the bottom of the Opera House steps, her long legs stretched out in front of her.

Harry's mouth went dry.

While her skin was quite a few shades lighter than most of the other people he had met, she was still several shades darker than he was. Her denim shorts displayed her toned legs to perfection, and her simple white polo shirt threw her bright blue eyes into prominence. She had lifted her sunglasses from her face to greet him, and her eyes sparkled. Her almost black hair shone in the sun, the auburn tinge warming her complexion.

"Hi Feriel! You look great!" Harry managed to reply. She lifted herself off the step to stand beside him.

"You look pretty fantastic yourself! Shall we get going?" she asked, as Harry blushed at the comment. He nodded, then found his voice again.

"Where are we going anyway?" he inquired as she led the way down to Circular Quay.

"Just to the top of the Bridge." She replied casually, as she kept walking.

Harry later swore that Feriel had used a spell on the walk from the Opera House to the Bridge. He didn't remember any of it, except the conversation, and even that was a little sketchy.

Feriel disappeared into an office at the end of the Bridge, and soon reemerged with identical khaki green full body suits. "Here you go, put this on! We're going up." She climbed into her own suit, which, Harry noticed, hugged her in all the right places. Then he realised something, "Hey, shouldn't we have a tour guide or something?" he asked, pulling on his suit.

"Oh, if I was anyone else, you would. I qualified as a tour guide about a month ago. You're my first customer!" she said it in an offhanded way, making it sound like it was something that she did every day. Consequently, Harry paid no attention to the obvious message in her answer.

Once they were ready, Feriel rigged a harness to each of them. She shushed Harry when he squeaked about it being too tight. At last, they were attached to the safety wire leading up the stair to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Harry trudged up the steps, admiring the view and marveling at the intelligence that would be needed to make this construction stay up and in one piece.

Once they reached the top, Feriel turned to him, her cheeks flushed, _'from the climb'_ Harry's brain told him, and she stepped closer to him. He could now count the double handful of light freckles dusted across her nose, barely darker than her skin.

"Welcome to Australia, Harry Potter." She spoke softly, though Harry still heard her. She was standing so close …

She leaned across the scant inches between them and pressed her lips to his.

Shellshocked, Harry could do nothing but stand there for a few moments. Instinct soon took over, and he reached out, encircling her waist with his arms, pulling her flush against his chest. She didn't object, so he took a deep breath and parted his lips slightly under hers. He prayed that he wouldn't scare her off. To his delight, and amazement, she sighed happily and opened her mouth to him. Soon they were completely lost within each other's embrace and searing kisses.

When they climbed down the stairs, they were hand in hand, and both grinning widely.

"Shall we go and see that movie now? We can veto the lunch for today, and have junk food instead." Suggested Harry when they were both out of their suits and strolling Circular Quay once more.

"Sounds good. But only if I can take you to the place I was going to take you, tomorrow instead." She looked at him and he nodded, "Cool. Let's go then."

They spent the rest of the afternoon at the movies, then had coffee at a nearby café as the sun went down. They finally grabbed take-away for dinner from a vendor on Circular Quay. They curled up on a patch of grass and watched the people go by. They talked about anything and everything. Nothing was out of bounds for either of them.

Harry shed light on his childhood at the Dursleys, and Feriel explained her family tree, from half-brothers and sisters to stepparents and second cousins. They shared their happiest and unhappiest moments, Harry sharing the death of Sirius while Feriel held him, as the tears fell for both him and each and every death caused by the recent war.

Finally they had to go. Harry escorting Feriel home to her door.

"Thanks for the great day Feriel. I really enjoyed myself." Harry was suddenly shy at the doorstep. Upon realising this, Feriel giggled softly.

"You're welcome Harry. Don't forget to meet me here tomorrow so we can go to that place I promised." She replied, tilting her head up slightly, kissing him on the mouth. Harry cupped her cheek gently and deepened the kiss for a moment before slowly pulling away.

"Goodnight Feriel." Harry smiled at the closed eyes and dreamy smile on her face, and brushed his thumb across her lower lip.

"Mmm… Goodnight Harry. You're a great kisser, do you know that?" She opened her eyes and smiled at him, adding, "Now you had better go and put Matt out of his misery. He'll be sitting up and waiting for you to tell him all about it!" She winked and waved as Harry laughed outright and waved back, then vanished with a faint _'pop'_.


	5. The Engagement

A/N: Unfortunately don't own anything but the plot and the original characters. My bank account would have quite a few more zeros on the end if I did. Race to Beat The Weasleys Chapter Five – What Are The Others Up To? 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe …

"Ronald Weasley! He hasn't called in over 48 hours! How are we supposed to know whether he is alive or not?!" A frantic Hermione Granger paced the living room of the flat she shared with her boyfriend Ron Weasley, who was sitting on the couch watching her with an amused smile on his face. He was not jealous over her protectiveness of Harry, he knew that she did it out of sisterly love for the other wizard. He would be far more worried if she didn't say anything.

This had been the routine for some weeks now. If Harry didn't call at least once every two days, Hermione would spend the time between the 48 hour mark and when Harry did call, fretting over his well being and safety. When he did call, Harry would get an earbashing over making sure that he called on time next time. _I was worried SICK!!_ Was the usual catchphrase she used on him.

Truth be told, things had been rather peaceful since Harry had left, Ron pondered.

Ginny had been disappointed when Harry had broken up with her. That emotion was short lived during the was, once Draco Malfoy had joined the Light side. Ron had discovered, much to his fury, that Ginny had an even bigger crush on the Slytherin than she had had on Harry. The two of them had become friends during the war, and as the fighting had finished, they had admitted that they were actually dating.

Predictably, the Weasleys had been fuming at first, but when Draco had stood by Ginny, regardless of the torment he received, Mrs Weasley saw that he was prepared to change for her. She talked Mr Weasley and the other Weasley men around. Ginny and Draco had since been living together in Muggle London, visiting Ron and Hermione and the Burrow at least once a week. Ron hated to admit it, but Draco was growing on him.

Career wise, Hermione hadn't surprised anyone when she got a job at the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Experimental Magic as the head researcher. While Ron had pursued, and gotten, a job in the Department of Magical Games and Sports as part of the Wizarding Chess Tournament Board. Ginny was studying to become a healer, and Draco was working in the Apothecary in Diagon Alley. He was saving to open a potions store of his own. Both the senior Malfoy's had been killed in the war, but not before cutting Draco out of their will for joining the opposition.

Weasley Wizarding Wheezes was still as prosperous as before, and Fred and George now had stores in most countries' capital cities. Because of their success, they had paid for the Burrow to be re-built, as a thank you, for putting up with their antics as children and teenagers, to their parents. Consequently, most holidays, every christmas and birthdays were all held at the new Burrow.

Suddenly Hermione stopped pacing at a knock on the door. "Well!" She demanded of Ron, "Are you going to get that or not?" Ron grinned, he knew who, or what was behind the door.

"You're already standing, why don't you get it?" he retorted. Hermione 'humphed' and stalked to the door.

She was greeted with a face full of red pink and white roses, her favourites. "Oh! What's all this? Who are these all from?" A delivery person stuck her head out from behind the huge bouquet.

"Don't ask me miss. I only deliver, not receive the orders. Sign here please." With difficulty, she held a clipboard out for Hermione to sign, before handing over the flowers.

Upon closing the door, and finding an appropriate vase for the roses, Hermione immediately began searching for a card. What she found instead was a scarlet velvet box nestled in the centre of the bunch. She whirled around, crashing into Ron, who had gotten off the couch to watch.

"Ron," she breathed, her face full of wonder and hope, "these are from you aren't they?" He nodded, though it wasn't a question. He reached over her shoulder, plucking the box from its thorny place among the stems, then sank down onto one knee.

"Oh Ron!" was all Hermione could say, tears already beginning to overfill her eyes.

"Hermione. You have been my best friend for the past seven years, and a fantastic and loving partner for the past 12 months. I know we haven't been together for long, but it has been long enough to decide that I wan't to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Will you marry me Hermione?" Ron asked sincerely. Hermione was a virtual waterfall, crying steadily harder as Ron spoke. Finally she managed to choke out a loud "YES!!" before throwing herself at him. Upon catching her, Ron opened the bow to reveal her ring, a single solitaire diamond on a gold band. Simple and elegant, just the way she liked things. With difficulty, he slid the ring onto her finger. Hermione managed to stop crying long enough to kiss him soundly, before leaping to her feet and almost shrieking, "I've go to tell Ginny!" and racing to the fire.

Ten minutes later, the entire Weasley family, plus the Grangers and Draco, was gathered in the living room to help celebrate the engagement. In the midst of the celebrations, Harry called.

"HARRY!!" called the group as they all gathered around the large painting over the fireplace.

Upon finding that the floo network didn't reach as far as Australia, Hermione had used Sirius' mirror that he had given Harry as inspiration. She created a painting that used the same basic principle as the magic paintings that allowed their subjects to travel to different buildings within their network of portraits. This painting, and Harry's (which was much smaller to allow for ease of travel) were activated via password, which caused an alert on the other 'end' rather like a telephone call. Once the receiving party gave their password, the link connected and they were able to talk as if they were standing face to face.

"Hey …everyone?" Harry looked bewildered as he saw the sheer number of people in the room. "What are you all doing here? You didn't _all_ want to see _me_ did you?" he looked almost uncomfortable at the thought.

"Don't worry Harry dear, we are all here to celebrate!" Harry looked even more confused, so Molly continued, "I'm going to gain another daughter! Ronald popped the question!" She was positively glowing with joy.

"Took you bloody long enough Ron." Harry teased, then looked to Hermione, "Congratulations Hermione. Both of you actually. I'm really happy for you." Harry then looked longingly at the butterbeer in Bill Weasley's hand, "Wish I had some of that though, then I could celebrate with you properly. Anyway, besides the obvious, what has everyone been doing over there?" Harry asked. He was immediately bombarded with news and information on each and every aspect of everyone's lives. This soon turned into questions from them about Australia.

Finally Fred caused a stir by asking, "So, Harry. Have you met any gorgeous 'surfing girls' over there yet?" Harry's immediate flush made all the Weasley boys whistle and cat-call loudly.

"Alright, ALRIGHT!!" They all quieted down, and Harry blushed again at their blatant interest in his private life. "She's not a surfie chick as the say over here, but she's awesome all the same." Harry left it at that, ignoring the ardent pleas for more information.

After another hour, Harry finally let them know that he had to go. "But we should do this again sometime. It's been great to talk to you all again. Stay safe and healthy! See you all next time. Goodbye!" With that, Harry disappeared.

The party in the Granger-Weasley residence continued long into the night, and more than one head regretted it the next day. Though they all maintained that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and that's all that counted. …Right?


	6. The Relationship Grows

**Chapter five was 'The Engagement'**

Race to Beat the Weasleys – Chapter Six

**The Relationship Grows**

While Feriel had joked about going to tell Matt all about their date, Harry wanted to keep the details to himself. Consequently he had to deal with an utterly frustrating Aussie for weeks afterwards, constantly pestering him for details. Matt finally relented when Harry retorted his latest question with "You know, Matt, someone might confuse you with Kiara one day. What with the way you are digging for juicy gossip and all!" He had to laugh at the look of complete indignation that crossed Matt's face at the comment as he promptly closed his mouth and walked out of the room.

This unfortunately didn't stop anyone else from bothering him about it. Though all their questions were quickly answered once Feriel turned up to a party about a month later; she made her way immediately over to Harry at the bar. Their friends soon filled the pub with whistles and shouts as Feriel greeted him with a passionate kiss; wrapping her arms around his neck, causing him to lose himself in her taste and pull her flush against him.

"Hello gorgeous." Murmured Feriel, when they came up for air; completely oblivious to their boisterous friends that surrounded them.

"Hey yourself. What prompted that greeting?" He asked, curious, still holding her close and tight. "Not that I'm complaining, mind. Just curious; you never appreciated the whole PDA thing before." He grinned as she scrunched up her nose at the PDA comment, then smiled broadly at him, her whole face lighting up.

"I just got promoted!" She answered happily.

"Which job?" Harry had to know. Feriel was well known to have numerous occupations on the go at any one time.

"Actually, it's not a promotion 'per se'. More like a dream come true…" She trailed off, looking dreamy. This had Harry slightly nervous. She had never been one to swoon or any of that 'stupid girly stuff' as she liked to put it. He shook her gently when it looked like she wasn't going to come out of her trance anytime soon. "And…" he prompted, when she looked back at him.

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that! Um … Yes. You know I love to take photos anything and everything, right?" Harry nodded. Boy did he ever! Though they had only been dating for a few weeks, she had already taken more photos of them on their dates than anyone he had ever met, which was saying something. He and Ron had discovered Hermione's infatuation with muggle photography sometime in their 4th year. He had albums _full_ of photos that she had taken since then. Even more once she had learned the process on how to make them into wizarding photos. Sheesh the woman was completely snap happy!

"Well," Feriel continued, unaware of Harry's inner reminiscing. "I took some of my work into a few of the nature mags offices. You are looking at the newest official photographer for the Australian branch of the National Geographic Magazine!!" She was squirming with joy as she delivered her news, and Harry found that he had to release his hold on her slightly, to give him (and other parts of his anatomy) space to 'breathe'.

"Congratulations!! That's great to hear, I know how much you love your camera." Harry smiled at her exuberance about her newest job, thinking how stunning she looked with her face alight with happiness, and her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. On impulse Harry kissed her on the nose, making her giggle softly. He grinned down at her, watching as her eyes twinkled even more, then darkened slightly as Harry leaned in to kiss her properly.

Later that night, once the two of them had had enough of the loud music and ever expanding cloud of cigarette smoke, they retreated to Feriel's place. They curled up on the couch together, jazz music playing softly in the background. They chatted quietly for a while, before lapsing into comfortable silence, dozing lightly.

"Harry?" Feriel whispered when she thought he was asleep.

"Mmm?" came the very sleepy answer, telling Feriel that he was barely awake and functioning.

"… I … Never mind." She murmured, and snuggled closer to Harry's warmth, closing her eyes and listening to his heart beat.

"Mm, Ok." Yawned Harry, and he wrapped his arms more firmly around her, before falling asleep properly.

"_I love you, Harry Potter_." Feriel said softly. She was sure that he wouldn't hear her, before falling asleep herself.

As always when he woke up at Feriel's place, Harry blinked stupidly for a few seconds before remembering where he was. He yawned and cuddled into the warmth that was his sound asleep girlfriend by his side on the living room couch. His head tucked into her shoulder, he breathed in her unique scent and smiled, content. He suddenly frowned when he finally remembered something that Feriel had said as he was falling asleep. _I love you, Harry Potter._

Surely he had been dreaming? He had realised his own feelings only a week before, and they had scared him. Who fell in love in less than a month? His mind was in chaos with the thought of what would happen if he admitted his own feelings.

Lying there with his girl in his arms, Harry thought back on the last few weeks, and realised that he had never been happier or more comfortable within himself. He wanted to wake up every morning; he was excited at the prospects and promises that every day promised. He had a much more positive outlook on his life in general since he had come to Australia, and met his new friends and of course, Feriel.

Feriel. The main reason for his new lease on life. Everything else around him ceased to exist when she walked into a room, or when they spent time together. It had even gone so far that Matt would call Feriel when Harry was in a bad or depressed mood and Harry's entire demeanor would change the instant he heard her voice. He couldn't imagine ever being without her, and he knew that he loved her with all his soul. What had really worried him was that he would scare her off if he admitted it to her. This revelation by her, albeit with the thought that he was asleep, was all he needed to get that last bit of courage to tell her.

As Harry came to this conclusion, he felt the girl, _woman_ Harry told himself, on his chest begin to wake. She smiled up at him in her sleepy state, and he couldn't help but kiss her tenderly. She hummed in contentment as she slid her hand up his chest to cradle his cheek. Harry himself moaned softly as he drank in her wonderfully sleepy kiss, which soon strayed from gentle and tender, to hard and passionate. Harry pulled her firmly against him as he devoured her mouth, one hand sliding under the back of her top to caress her skin.

Feriel broke the kiss, breathing hard. Her hands grabbed the bottom hem of her t-shirt and wrenched it over her head, immediately covering Harry's mouth with her own before it even hit the floor. Harry lost himself in her scorching kisses, arching under her touch as she began to flip open the buttons on his shirt before sliding her hands over his chest, caressing his nipples teasingly.

"Wait…" He managed to gasp, holding her close, but still wanting to make sure of something. "Are you sure? You said you didn't want to til you wer-" He was silenced with another distracting kiss.

She assuaged his fears. "You are the one. Don't need a ring to tell me that. Now shut up and _feel!_" She pulled herself off the couch, onto the floor, and dragged Harry with her.

"Oomph!" Harry squashed the air from both their lungs as he toppled down on top of her. A moment later they were both laughing breathlessly, before resuming their frantic stripping of each other. Very quickly, they were both bare, and Harry was kissing his way down her body, tonguing her navel before continuing southwards.

"_Fuck! Harry…_" Feriel gasped and arched her back, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer.

Harry smiled against her wet heat, marveling at how freely she expressed her desire, for someone who had had no other experience other than her own self, and now him. This though caused a surge of animal male possessiveness to course through him, and he doubled his efforts to take her over the edge.

Suddenly Feriel let out a high keening noise, closely followed by an animal sounding groan. Her head tipped back, her back arched, and her thighs clamped themselves tightly around Harry's head, holding him close as pleasure swamped her body.

Harry cradled her thighs in his hands until he felt her muscles relax and release his head. Immediately he looked up at her face, rosy cheeked with passion and the heat that had built between them. Still gasping, Feriel managed, "_Wow_!" before letting her head fall back on the floor, basking in the afterglow and catching her breath.

Harry could not hold himself back any longer, and the rest of the night was mostly a blur, except for the horrible moment when he finally claimed her body with his own and she seemed to be in so much pain that he wanted to forget the act entirely. She had tearfully begged him to continued, moving her own body against his when he did not move. After that all he could do was give in to his instincts and bury himself in her over and over again, climbing to his peak and crashing over the edge, before slumping over her spread-eagled form, gasping for air and burning up from the inside.

She held him as he struggled to even his breathing, threading her fingers through his sweat soaked hair, and whispering softly to him. Soon, Harry found his breath again, and lifted his head and upper body to look at her, smiling tiredly at her, his eyes glowing from their emerald depths. Too sleepy to check his mouth as it spoke without his permission, Harry whispered softly against her lips, "I love you, Feriel." Before kissing her slowly and tenderly, telling her through his lips just how much he cared for her.

When he released her mouth, she grinned at him like a cheshire cat, her eyes glowing with happiness. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her sweaty skin, her face buried in his shoulder. As she released him, she murmured her love again into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe slightly before releasing him completely.

Feriel wriggled out from under Harry, and stood, legs wobbling, holding her hand out to help him up from the floor. Then together and naked as the day they were born, they moved to her bedroom to continue to show each other just how much they loved one another.

Authors Note:

Thanks to Irique for being the first to review for me. And I am Australian, I'm like you, I like to be able to imagine them somewhere familiar to me! Thanks for your support!

And the usual waffle:

Nothing but the story (and original characters) are mine. My bank account doesn't have that many zeros!

I love reviews, flames are only appreciated if it is constructive criticism, if not, I don't want to hear it!!

Thanks!


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